Delhi minister Satyendar Jain hospitalised, is on hunger strike

The Hush Post: Satyendra Jain, minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government was hospitalised late on Sunday after his health deteriorated. Jain is on a hunger strike at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s office, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter.

Jain, who has six ministries in the Delhi government, was taken to the Lok Narayan Jai Prakash Hospital after he complained of a headache, nausea, and breathing problems, Dr JS Passey was quoted as saying.

Kejriwal, Jain, deputy minister Manish Sisodia, and development minister Gopal Rai are camping at Baijal’s office since June 11. They have refused to leave until the L-G makes IAS officers end their alleged strike. Sisodia is on hunger strike too.

AAP leaders along with thousands of party workers on Sunday marched towards the PMs residence in support of their ministers’ protest. They walked from Mandi House in central Delhi before being stopped by police near the Parliament Street police station.

Urging bureaucrats handling Delhi affairs to attend meetings called by ministers, Kejriwal said that he would ensure the safety and security of officers “with all powers available at his command.”

“It is my duty… the officers are a part of my family. I would urge them to stop the boycott of the elected government, return to work and start attending all meetings of ministers, respond to their calls and messages and join them for field inspections. They should work without fear or pressure. They should not come under any pressure from any sources, whether state or central government or any political party,” Kejriwal said. This was his first such statement during the on-going stand-off between the government on one side and bureaucracy and LG on the other.

The CM’s said this in reply to concerns of safety raised by the IAS Association at a press conference on Sunday. Denying that they were on strike, the IAS officers said there was an atmosphere of “fear” and “mistrust” in the bureaucracy in Delhi.

“Whatever gathering or meeting it is, we don’t feel safe, (hence) we don’t attend. However, we are attending all statutory meetings. The misinformation, which is being spread, that we are on strike is completely false and baseless. We are all at work, conducting all public inspections, attending meetings. Everybody is working to their utmost sincerity, vigour and dedication,” the association’s secretary Manisha Saxena said.

The protest march also saw the presence of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury who said that “federalism was being undermined.”

Apart from four CMs yesterday, the Shiv Sena and the NCP have also extended support to AAP government in Delhi.

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